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Minimax T40 Shaper

I see a minimax T40 shaper for sale near me. 5HP 3PH, 1 1/4" spindle. Any owners or users of this shaper here on the creek? Any thoughts about this machine? Asking is $900, I would have to get a VFD or a phase converter on top of that.

Hi Peter. Those are good machines. Nothing fancy, just a solid shaper. The fence is a little crude. I think JR owned a couple of them and maybe he will chime in. If its in good shape, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat.

Thanks Jay. I guess worth checking out then. I'm going to call the guy in the morning to take a look if possible. Been saving for a PM2700, been looking for a decent 5HP shaper for a while, first serious used machine in my area in years that I have seen.

I agree with Jay that the fence is the weakness. Only one side is adjustable and you have to loosen one side from the table to adjust offset. The flip up cover and guard is nice though. I replaced the hold-downs with plywood plates that shroud the blade and help with dust collection. I saw a MiniMax upgrade fence for sale or auction a while back that I should have just bought. It had the digital counters on the adjustments and aluminum faces. Maybe it is still out there somewhere. For an all around multipurpose shaper, I would be upgrading the fence pretty quickly.

I like the form factor of these - they are nice and compact, but have the spindle support of a production shaper, just mini sized. Mine ran smoother than the PM 27 that I had at the same time. The drive sheaves are balanced and fitted well to the arbors. There are sliding table attachments out there that will bolt right on. I sold mine for $1500, so it sounds like a good deal if it is in good shape. See if they have the spanner wrench for spindle changes. Nice find!

Thanks for the info JR. I am now the proud owner of a Minimax t40! I do see that fence being an issue. I have a new Delta X5 fence on my old delta shaper that I got for a song, it is actually a pretty well made fence unit and I'm thinking of putting it on the T40 and setting the delta up with the old fence for coping. I do like the design, that is one heck of a spindle for a mid sized machine. I was saving for a PM2700 but I think the compact foot print of this machine may be a better fir for my small shop, and at $900 the price was right. The one I bought seems barely used. Came with both spindles and the OEM wrenches. It runs as smooth as a kitten. I need to get a VFD as I don't have 3PH in my shop. As it turns out we got a new small slider at work last fall and pulled the sliding attachment from an SCMI TS off. They told me to throw it out this winter, but being a pack rat I saved it, and I think it may fit this shaper.

As an added bonus the seller pulled out a box of shaper cutters as i was leaving and said "you want these, $100 takes them all". I got a half dozed panel raisers, all new or close, a few Freeborn profile cutters (one BIG 1/4 round used once for a bar counter job), and an Amana 40MM head with a few dozed inserts. I didn't need the panel raisers but I really wanted a second 40MM head and that pile of profiles will come in handy too. Can't wait to get this thing in place. I've been looking for a good used 1 1/4" shaper at a fair price for 4 years, I had all but given up.

You suck!! Congrats on the new machine and tooling...I keep looking for a good buy in my area and I hope I can score something as nice as what you found. Please post some pictures and I will be interested in seeing any of your mods.

You suck!! Congrats on the new machine and tooling...I keep looking for a good buy in my area and I hope I can score something as nice as what you found. Please post some pictures and I will be interested in seeing any of your mods.

Scot

Only mod I have planned is to throw the Delta X5 fence on it, I think there is room to tap the table for that, and if I can't locate a second hand slider down the road for it (it is machined to accept one as an accessory) I may add a small extension table to the front of it using those same bolt holes to give my coping sled a bit more support. Oh, and the VFD as a phase convertor. Unless somebody wants to GIVE me an Aligner fence for product testing purposes, then I might be able to accommodate that as well! It sure starts up and runs smoother than the old Chitty chitty bang bang PM 27's in the cab shop at work. Then again, so does my little delta...

I think I measured the top at 24"X35"? It is longer than it is deep. Sort of long and skinny actually, as the spindle seems to be centered on the table which leaves only 9-10" of table left to the hood is on. Can't seem to find it in the manual exactly, its still in my van until I can get some help moving it in, I'll measure tomorrow. Looking at the 'manual' I have, I think it is simply a parts list, seems i don't have the "instructionnes" booklet, so if anyone has a copy I'd love to get a scan if possible. I think I measured 7 1/4" max below the table, maybe 8" or a little better above. 3 7/8" max under the nut.

That's a nice size. I have been looking at shapers and I am amazed at just how large some of the more heavy-duty units are -- some are close to four feet wide or more -- too big for my shop. I would be interested in hearing the exact dimensions once you get it set up -- height is not as important. I have seen a couple of T40's come up for sale ever so often and it might be a good fit for my shop.

Here are the specs from my manual. I don't have a scanner, but I'll see what I can do. Really, it is mostly very basic info, and since you obviously know shapers, it may be redundant. If you have the spindle style with a bolt and cap, then you can squeeze a taller tool onto the spindle if need be...

That's a nice size. I have been looking at shapers and I am amazed at just how large some of the more heavy-duty units are -- some are close to four feet wide or more -- too big for my shop. I would be interested in hearing the exact dimensions once you get it set up -- height is not as important. I have seen a couple of T40's come up for sale ever so often and it might be a good fit for my shop.

Thanks...looking forward to the pics !

Scot

You ain't kidding Scot. We have a couple of older SAC's at work, the tables are something like 34"X46" on the bigger ones. Perfect for curved work, bigger than it has to be for 80% of what it gets used for. Having moved them this winter to lay down a new shop floor, I can tell you they are heavy too. The old SAC's are nothing fancy, but they are very smooth and brutally powerful. I considered going that route in a day dream as I have seen some SAC's selling in the mid $3K range w/feeder, but I woke up when I started envisioning what it would take to get a 900# machine down a steep bilco entry. Oh, and the price of phase conversion for a 9HP machine is quite steep too. I needed a nice little flexible machine to do some side work in my home shop, I think the T40 will fit that bill nicely.

JR, thanks if you you have a way to copy the manual, and no sweat if you don't. The seller walked me through all the specifics before I left so I knew how to handle spindle changes and cutter changes. He had to think about it as he had set the machine up to cope a single cab door profile, once, and never touched it again. It still had his coping sled on it, still set to the fence!